Selman Selmanagic and legacy of Bauhaus: The concept of 'architecture beyond four walls'

Aida Abadžić-Hodžić

doi:10.5937/artefact1601031a

Abstract

As a lecturer of architecture and spatial design for many years, as well as the head of the Department of Architecture at the Weiβensee Art College (Kunsthochschule Weiβensee) in the (then) East Berlin (1950-1970), Selman Selmanagić had a strong impact on many generations of students, nowadays active in the field of architecture, with his understanding of architecture as a field that is closely related to the social, political, and cultural context and the needs of its users, and consequently, with his pedagogical model of 'architecture beyond the four walls,' which defined and understood architecture as an area surpassing by far the merely formal and functional issues. This pedagogical approach, which was also based on Selmanagić's extensive practical experience as an architect, urban planner, and designer, also powerfully reflected and perpetuated the key values and ideals of the most influential school of the European avantgarde - Bauhaus - where he had been trained. In his own pedagogical and creative work, Selmanagić strove to find a social use and justification for Bauhaus' basic theoretical and practical values, in which they could offer a sort of model for an active and engaged life and activity in accordance with the times and the (socialist) society.

Highlights

R the four walls,” which defined and understood architecture as an area surpassing by far the merely formal and functional issues
Selman Selmanagić jedini je arhitekt i dizajner iz Bosne i Hercegovine koji je imao direktan susret sa evropskom umjetničkom avangardom kroz školovanje na najznačajnijoj školi evropske umjetničke avangarde, Bauhaus, gdje je i diplomirao 1932. godine
In his own pedagogical and creative work, Selmanagić strove to find a social use and justification for Bauhaus’

Summary

Aida Abadžić Hodžić *

Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Filozofski fakultet u Sarajevu Katedra za historiju umjetnosti. Selman Selmanagić jedini je arhitekt i dizajner iz Bosne i Hercegovine koji je imao direktan susret sa evropskom umjetničkom avangardom kroz školovanje na najznačajnijoj školi evropske umjetničke avangarde, Bauhaus, gdje je i diplomirao 1932. Godine zaključio je ovo razdoblje, u osvit Drugog svjetskog rata, nekoliko godina nakon zatvaranja Bauhausa, dalekovidno naslućujući posljedice ubraznog razvoja tehnika reprodukcije ‘stvarnosti’. Ovaj stav istakao je Gropius i nekoliko godina prije svoje smrti (1963) u pismu prijatelju i u kojem je, sjećajući se turbulentnih vremena u kojima je škola nastajala, naglasio da se izvorna ideja škole razvila iz, kako to u svojoj studiji o Bauhausu citiraju Fiedler i Feierabend (1999) s jedne strane,„osjećaja duboke depresije koja je bila rezultat izgubljenog rata i potpunog sloma intelektualnog i ekonomskog života, i, s druge strane, gorljive nade i želje da se iz tih ruševina sagradi nešto novo“ (Fiedler & Feierabend:1999: 22)

Selmanagićev susret s Bauhausom

Citirana literatura

TE Abstract